ABC Radio National had an interesting episode of Big Ideas that took the debate about the Federal Government's proposal to filter certain websites from the internet feed coming into Australia to a public forum.
Journalist David Marr made I think the most convincing point. He explained that once the filter is in place for some content determined by the Government as 'dangerous', then there will be little to stop shrill political point-scoring from the likes of Tony Abbott or whomever follows him, pressing the government of the day to shut down more and more types of content, and where does it stop?
Where indeed?
"The minute you have the power to filter the internet, you are responsible for everything that is there."
In recent years, the Federal and State/Territory governments have moved to "protect" us from more and more "danger", with said protection inevitably involving more and more restrictions of our freedom and legal rights. The danger passes but the restrictions never ease.
In that vain, another speaker poignantly quoted Benjamin Franklin: "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
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